The Last knight and Beyond 
by Olivia Jean Ecklund 


Chapter 8 


Natalie listened for his heartbeat. "It's already working Nick.... Hey! I just 
heard your heart beat." 

He smiled down at her like one would a child, "It does that occasionally." 

"No," she smacked him playfully on the chest, "I mean it beat again. I just 
heard it a couple minutes ago." 

"You always make my heart beat faster, Natalie," he teased. 

"Nick! I'm serious!" she pushed him away and bound across the room. She grabbed 
up her medical bag and motioned for him to take her place on the stool. 

He sat, but he had a guarded look on his face. "Nat, it's our honeymoon. Can't 
we leave the tests for another time?" he protested. 

Natalie grinned at him, "Let's play doctor then." 

He smiled back, delighted with the thought, but knew she was already slipping 
into her serious doctor mode. She suddenly stuck the stethoscope to his chest. 

"Nat, that's cold!" he said, jumping back. 

She stared at him, "You can feel the temperature difference? You've never 
complained before." 

"I haven't, have I?" he said, hope dancing through his brain. 

"Shhhh," she admonished him. So they sat in silence for 10 minutes as she 
listened and wrote a few notes. She took his temperature and then a blood 
sample. 

Finally, Nick couldn't wait another second, "Nat! What did you find?" 

"Nick," she said, her hand trembling, as she stepped back from the microscope. 
"Your heart's beating every 2.6 minutes. That's a vast improvement from once 
every 9.8 minutes. Your body temperature is up 5 degrees." She indicated the 
microscope, "Best of all, your blood is changing. There are nearly half the 
abnormal cells there used to be." 

Nick jumped from the stool. "Nat!" he exalted picking her up and swung her 
around, "It's working then?" 

Nat nodded, but was rather subdued and reserved. 

"Nat?" he asked, fear lacing his eyes. 

"Oh, Nick!" she exclaimed, "I'm so afraid. I don't want to get your hopes up. 
Neither one of us knows if this is temporary or what we have to do to keep it 
progressing the way we want it to." 

Nick laughed. "We will just make love a lot," he said with glee. He took her by 
the arms. 

Natalie blushed, "Sounds wonderful, Nick, but can we both keep it up. Last night 
was the most wonderful experience in my life..." she looked away. 

"But..." he asked, speaking the answer she couldn't. "You're still afraid of 
me," he said flatly, backing away. 

"No, Nick!" she protested, then whispered, "Yes..." 

She tried to explain, reaching out to touched his back. She felt the muscles 
twitch and draw away from her touch, but she barreled on. "In my heart I love 
you, more than I ever thought I could love anyone. I just felt, for a fraction 
of a second when you were about to strike, fear.. fear for self preservation. 
Nick, what would happen to the vampire if, all of a sudden, my instinct took 
over and I fought back... not of my own volition, but from a primal need to 
survive. Instinctually, I have a raw fear of death brought on from the night you 
nearly drained me." "Nick, listen to me... I only want us to be safe... take it 
slow. Lets just love each other and not have to bring up my fears..." She 
wrapped her arms around him, and begged, "Please let's go slow.. my love.. my 
life." 

He held her tightly. He didn't doubt that she loved him, and her words were 
wise. "Okay... we'll go slow." 

She sighed. It was a sigh that spoke of both relief and regret. 

Nick asked, "What now?" 

She looked at him, a little embarrassed, "Sometimes I wish I had more courage. I 
often get what I ask for, and I know it's necessary, but what I really want to 
do is to ravish you!" She smiled and, turning him toward her, kissed him 
fiercely." 

This led to more kisses. Suddenly Nick pushed her away...his eyes were amber. 

"No, Nick." She drew him to the couch and comforted the vampire until he slipped 
into a light sleep. She sat, stroking his hair gently, and prayed..."Lord let 
this beautiful man be freed from the demon that lives within him. He believed 
before, and in my heart I know he still does. Let him find you again and believe 
in you. Help him to release his pain and guilt, and set his spirit free. I know 
you can do this in Jesus' name." 

She leaned down and kissed him on the forehead. Her love for the Lord was so 
strong now. She prayed constantly. She felt that her life with Nick was meant to 
be. It was scary, sometimes, knowing what was inside the man she loved more than 
anything, but she felt that her blood, cleansed by the Lord, was what was making 
the demon weak. The Lord living in her heart, was combating this evil in 
silence, not invading their lives too much, so far, but soon Nick would have to 
chose. What if he didn't? Would she be forced to walk away? She knew that Jesus 
must come first in her life...even over Nick. She prayed that choice would never 
have to be made. Last night, when Nick had told her he believed it might be 
possible for him to be forgiven, her heart had sung. 

Nick started to stir and she leaned down to kiss him again. Somehow, Nick found 
the strength to go to the frig again before things became mindless between them. 
He drank more of Natalie's blood from the bottle of bloodwine, and when they 
made love before the fire, he only took a small amount from her. Their passion 
spent, they laid in each others arms on the thick white carpet. The sun had set, 
and Nick took the remote and opened the blinds. It seemed as if a thousand stars 
shone down on them, blessing their union. Nick was sitting against the couch and 
Natalie leaned against his bare chest. He was basking in the light touch of her 
shoulders and arms. 

She linked her fingers with his, and raised their hands to kiss his. 

"Oh, Nick. Did you ever think it would be this good for us?" she asked as she 
assaulted his fingers with kisses and nibbles. 

"To be honest, Nat, I thought this was only possible if I were human." Drawing 
her hand to his mouth to kiss her finger tips, he added "Your love has changed 
my heart tonight. I barely felt the vampire. He's weak, Nat. I feel he is losing 
his battle to hold on to me... You know what else, my beautiful Wife?" 

She twisted around to look into his eyes. "No, Nick. What?" she asked, her heart 
beating expectantly. 

There were tears in his eyes, "You have given me back my faith in God. I see it 
in your mind, and feel it in your heart. I see His word living in you, my love." 


Natalie heard his words with a joyous heart. "Nick, do you think you're ready to 
ask the Lord into your heart. Can you ask Him to protect you from the Vampire." 

"Do you think He would really answer my prayer?" he asked, hope in his eyes. 

She rose to kneel before him. "Nick, just ask Him. Ask Him to cleanse you, if 
that's what you want. I can't do it for you. It has to come from your heart. 
Would you like me to leave you alone?" 

"I'm afraid, Nat. Maybe it would kill me?" he said, clinging to her hands. 

"No, Nick. I do not believe that is possible. You have always had a good heart. 
The demon... the vampire, will have to go. It might be painful, but you're no 
stranger to pain, and the reward could be your humanity. God did not put us 
together by mistake. I believe I am here to start the process. My blood is 
already weakening the vampire. My love, and the love of the Lord in me, weakens 
the vampire." 

She clarified, "You, Nick. You must ask for the blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse 
your heart and save you from this monstrous presence that steals your life from 
you. Ask Nick... if that is what you feel in your heart." She leaned in and held 
him close for a moment, then kissed him, stood, grabbed up the white robe and 
headed for the stairs. 

"Nat, don't go to far," he called after her. 

"I'll be on the landing, my love," she called to him. She went up the stairs, 
slipping on the robe and wrapping it around her for comfort. A knot of fear 
twisted in her stomach. She knew it was time for choices and she had seen in 
Nick's eyes that the time was now. Whatever happened tonight would determine the 
rest of their lives. No matter what, she would never divorce Nick or love 
another. In her heart she knew the Lord could take the vampire away, but Nick 
had to believe as well. She sat near the top of the stairs, slipping into the 
shadows. She drew her knees to her chin and wrapped her arms around them. She 
waited, listened and prayed. 

Nick stood before the fire, dressed only in the black silk pajama bottoms. 

Fear was winding around his cold heart, and he felt a need to pray. There was so 
much power in the Vampire. It was a supernatural being beyond man's 
understanding. He believed that was why his kind could not go into the 
light...the demon of the vampire could never face the light. He went to the 
window and stared out into the stars. 

"Lord, where did I bury my faith? How could I have gotten so far away from you, 
that I allowed such a monster to enter me. LaCroix has so many demons in him. 
That's why he abuses me so much. He can't help it. Maybe he sees I still have 
faith and can't stand it." 

"I see the pain in his eyes afterwards. It's like they let him, the man he 
really is, see the pain he causes me. He is also trapped. Lord, I don't want to 
bend to LaCroix's will or the demon within me anymore. Free me from this entity 
and fill my heart and soul with Your Holy Spirit. Let me walk in your light. 
Sear my insides clean and take this evil from me." He voice was a cry now, "Be 
my personal Savior, Lord Jesus." Tears ran freely down his face. 

Natalie also cried... she stuffed her fist in her mouth so that she wouldn't 
make a sound to distract him. She wanted to run down the stairs to him, but 
something was holding her back. It felt like an invisible hand. The image of an 
angle came to mind and she felt warm and safe. 

A scream of agony ripped from Nick. An unbearable heat surrounded him. It seemed 
to be of white light that came from nowhere and engulfed him. The light was 
around him, in him, searing through him... Nick's mouth roared, yet inside, Nick 
felt disconnected and safe. He realized the roar of rage came from the vampire. 

Natalie struggled against the hands that held her, "Please, I must go to him!" 
The light was so bright she had to look away. 

She heard a voice, "No, baby... not yet." 

Nick felt his body being picked up by the light, and he seemed to float for a 
moment. Then he felt his body heave. Black putrid blood came from his stomach.. 
from every cell in his body. It poured out onto the floor, wracking his body 
with unbelievable pain. 

There was an un-holy scream that ripped through the room sending shivers through 
Natalie's body. She saw Nick lowered to the floor...the light faded... and was 
gone. She struggled again, then looked back over her shoulder and found that a 
large black woman was holding her close. The love that radiated out of her eyes 
spoke of great wisdom and love. 

"Go now, baby, Nick needs you," the angel told her, releasing her. 

Nick came to and found himself on the floor, with Natalie cradling his head. An 
unbelievable peace and calm surrounded him. He was warm... warmer than he ever 
believed he could be. 

Natalie was gently rocking him, "Nick... oh, Nick," she cried into his hair. 

"Nat, did you see? Did you see Jesus? He came and wrapped His arms around me. 
The peace was so amazing." "Yes, I saw, Nick," she said laughing and crying at 
the same time. She was overwhelmed by what had happened. 

Natalie held Nick a long time. Finally she realized he had fallen asleep. She 
drew his robe from the floor and covered him. She laid her hand on his chest and 
felt his steady heartbeat. His face was pink and his cheeks, flushed. 

She knew he was human again. Ignoring the tears that steamed down her face, 
Natalie brushed a golden curl away from his eyes. She kissed him and prayed a 
prayer of thanks to her Lord for this blessing. 

After a time, she went to the phone and called the precinct. 

"Reese, here," Joe answered. 

"Pop, can you come, please. I need your help," she asked. 

"Natalie, are you okay?" His voice was full of concern and fear. 

"Joe," she laughed and cried. "I'm wonderful," she said, sniffling, But I need 
your help. Nick's on the floor, and I need to get him to bed." 

"What happened?" he shouted, rising from his seat. The people in the bull pen 
looked toward his open door. 

"Pop, we're fine. I just need help." 

"Okay, Natalie. I'm on my way." He threw down the phone, grabbed his coat off 
the back of his chair and shouted on his way out, "I'll be at the Knight's." 

Everyone stared at his back, itching with curiosity. What on earth could two 
newlyweds want their Captain for? Tracy reached for the phone to call Vachon. 


End Chapter 8 


By Jeannie Ecklund Gersknightlady@cs.com